Dreamer: Reality (ONE-SHOT)
by bricann
Summary: SEQUEL TO DREAMER - It had been a month since Ezra had gotten back from his second trip to Arcadia and become one with the First Dreamer. Things had gotten back to normal for the most part. But now, he has to face an even bigger danger than the Azadi. One linked with the Empire... and with Ezra Bridger himself.


**A/N: I OWN NOTHING OF DREAMFALL/DREAMFALL CHAPTERS OR STAR WARS REBELS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THEIR CREATORS!**

 _ **Dreamer: Reality**_

It was getting late one day and Ezra stood up to walk outside. He had gotten back from Arcadia and became one with the First Dreamer a month ago. They were currently at the rebel base for the time being while waiting for a new mission.

Kanan immediately came up to him and said, "Ezra, we need to talk." He nodded in acceptance and followed his master to a secluded spot.

"What's up, Kanan?" the Padawan asked.

"I think we should tell Ahsoka about you, the First Dreamer, and the Yaga," Kanan told him.

"What about the 'less people that know, the better' thing?" Ezra asked.

"Ahsoka is a Jedi and she knows we should keep it a secret," Kanan responded. "Besides, she told me how she can sense how much more power you have since we got back from when you went missing. She wants to know what's up. We need to tell her. We'll be fine if we tell her."

"You sure about this, Kanan?" Ezra responded. His master nodded. "Alright. Okay. We'll tell Ahsoka when we next see her."

"Tell me what when you next see me?" came the other Force-user's voice and they turned to see her walking up. "Noticed you two hanging over here and wanted to check in."

"I was convincing Ezra to tell you why his power has grown so dramatically," Kanan explained.

"I've been wondering about that for a while. I was wondering when you would tell me why," Ahsoka responded. "I don't like how there's the dark side of the Force in it, too."

"It's… really complicated," Ezra responded.

"It seems like you don't want many people to know, so I'll keep it a secret if you want me to," Ahsoka assured him.

The Padawan nodded slowly. "I guess I should start at the very beginning of all this and how I first became a Dreamer," he began.

"A Dreamer?" she questioned.

Ezra nodded. "It was a few months before I first met Kanan and the others. I had fallen asleep one night and found myself in another world called Arcadia. Arcadia is quite different from most of the galaxy as it's based on magic," he told her. "I went there through dreaming. I was brought there after a girl called for me on screens that only I could see to find a woman named April Ryan and save her."

"Save her? From what?" Ahsoka asked.

"I'm… not really sure," he answered. "And if it was saving her life, I failed that." Ahsoka raised her eyebrow. "I went to Arcadia and ended up finding April Ryan. She was part of a rebel force fighting the Azadi. The Azadi are kind of like the Empire, just more based on religion and believing conquering and killing magicals, or non-humans, was their goddess' work. When I found April, she at first denied she needed help. At one point, the Azadi caught wind of me appearing out of thin air and thought I was a magical outside of Oldtown, or the ghetto which is where all magicals are forced to stay with their freedom and rights oppressed. An Azadi named Kian Alvane came and talked to me, before demanding I would be released seeing me as not magical. Of course, the Azadi running the prison said no because 'paperwork wasn't filled out yet'. I didn't escape until April came and got me out. After that, we separated again. But when I found my way to the rebel camp, Azadi came to it and trapped April between the bridge and murky waters that I wouldn't dare swim in. Kian was facing her as well. He denied to killing her like he was originally supposed and got arrested while the other Azadi killed April. Afterwards, I was taken to where the girl I had seen on the screens appeared. And I didn't tell Kanan or the others this; but when I met her and she explained a few things, and very vague things at that, she told me she was my younger half-sister." They went wide eyed. "I didn't believe it at first, but it would explain why she went to me and not someone else. After all, I couldn't have been the only Dreamer. But she wasn't able to hold on to the space she was in much longer and I stayed with her for a few minutes before she passed. After that, that weird world disappeared and I found myself at the place between waking and dreams: Storytime."

"Storytime?" Ahsoka repeated.

Ezra nodded. "The place between. Where all stories begin and end," he explained. "There I found a man called the Vagabond who told me I was stuck there while my body was trapped in a coma in the real world. People were coming into the Storytime and finding themselves trapped."

"How did they get into Storytime?" she asked.

"Apparently, the Empire was developing a new device that allowed people to go into realistic dreams. People would often get stuck in nightmares or loops in which I had to help them get out of with powers I can only use when I am in a place that is between waking and dreams. But it wasn't until a couple weeks in helping these people when I realized what these devices the Empire was making were really for," he continued.

"And what is that?" Kanan asked.

"To control people, reshape dreams, and eventually, reshape reality," Ezra answered shocking them. "People continued to get into unending loops and when it reached two months, it was like there wasn't an end and things were getting worse. Every time I woke someone up, I would tell them to stop using those devices. To refuse and never use it again. They usually agreed since most of the people needing help were in nightmares. But with everything getting worse, the Vagabond told me to find a way to wake up and stop the devices from causing more harm. I was reluctant, thinking I had more to do there and people needed me there, not out here. But the Vagabond convinced me and I found my way to waking up. Of course, when I did, everything from Arcadia and all my time in Storytime faded and disappeared, I couldn't remember it. It wasn't under those two weeks I was gone recently that I began to remember everything."

"And what happened exactly when you went missing?" Ahsoka asked.

"I went back to Arcadia to save the First Dreamer and the Dream," Ezra explained. "The Dream is what is the cause that made the entire universe. The First Dreamer, or also known as Lux, is the being that created the Dream and the universe. But in order to save Lux and the Dream, I had to face the embodiment of darkness called the Yaga: Baeb, Ayea, Gh'aa; three sisters who were originally one before the Dream was made. I had to face them to get Lux's heart, the soul-stone. I tried to reason with them at first, but the only way they ended up giving it to me was by me giving them my largest fears. I did, and I was able to get the soul-stone as the result. I then brought it to the Purple Mountains, where the first beings of the Dream called the Oular stayed, guarding Lux as he slept. I met another person called Abnaxus of the Venar who was the first one to send me a message about saving the Dream. He explained a few things before bringing me to meet Lux. I gave Lux the soul-stone and he began to speak to me inside my head. In order to save the Dream, Lux and I had to become one." Ahsoka went wide eyed in shock. "But he wasn't the only one there. The Yaga was with him. I was reluctant but agreed and Lux, the Yaga, and I became one. That's why I have so much more power and have darkness with me as well. I am now the holder and protector of the Dream and balance the light of the First Dreamer and the darkness of the Yaga. But one thing still bothers me about me disappearing when I went to Arcadia."

"And what's that?" Kanan asked.

"Every time I went to Arcadia, my body would stay behind and I would dream myself there. In fact, the Yaga mentioned how I was there by dreaming. Why did my body leave with me this time?" he questioned. "It doesn't add up right. And for some reason, every night I dream, I sometimes hear another voice. It isn't Lux's and it isn't the Yaga's. I can't place it, but it sounds familiar. And I hear them mentioning about some results and brainwaves and stuff like that. I don't understand it."

"Probably just a dream, Ezra," Kanan told him. "Or being connected to the universe is allowing you to hear the Empire's results with this device you mentioned."

"Which we need to find where its heart is and stop it before the Empire finds a way to reshape reality with it," Ahsoka responded. "As much as I feel we should tell Commander Sato about this device, if we tell too many people about Ezra holding the very fabric of the universe itself in him, they may grab him to try to remake the universe."

"Agreed," Kanan responded. Ezra nodded. "If there is a way to tell Commander Sato about the devices without telling him about Ezra's latent abilities, that would be good."

"A vision!" Ezra exclaimed and they looked at him confused. "We could tell him one of us had a vision about the device. After all, Jedi do have visions."

Kanan smirked. "Smart idea, kid," he complimented. "What do you think, Ahsoka?"

"As much as I trust Commander Sato, it's better than telling him about Ezra having these powers in him. It's our best choice at the moment. We can talk to him about it tomorrow," Ahsoka stated. "It's getting late anyways."

"Right," Kanan agreed and Ezra nodded. "We'll see you early tomorrow." Ahsoka nodded and they went their separate ways. As they entered the Ghost, the master said, "Ezra, if it's okay, when you sleep, I want to do a light mind probe."

"Why?" the Padawan asked.

"Because if you have those dreams of hearing those voices, I want to see and hear what you are. So I can help you figure it out," Kanan explained.

"I guess I can understand, then," Ezra agreed. "If you really feel you need to." Kanan nodded. He knew that since Ezra had gotten the Dream into him, he had been falling asleep quite easily, almost instantly after lying down and closing his eyes. So he wouldn't have to wait long before he could do a light mind probe to see the teenager's dreams. "I'll sleep in the living room if you want. So it won't be as awkward for Zeb to walk in with you doing a mind probe in our room."

"Sounds good to me," the master Jedi agreed. Ezra slowly lied down on the seat and closed his eyes. It didn't take even five minutes before he was in a deep sleep. "I swear, sometimes I worry about you falling asleep so quick." Hera walked in with Sabine and Zeb and the Jedi quickly explained what he was planning and what Ezra said about his dreams. They accepted due to what was said about the boy's dreams and went to sleep themselves. Once they were gone, Kanan turned back to Ezra and said, "Alright, kid. Let's see what's going on in that head of yours." He then placed his hand on his head and began his mind probe.

. . . .

 _It was complete darkness, not a bit of light. "His vitals are still very good. Even after over a year in a coma," stated a female voice through the darkness. "His powers are nearly at their peak. He'll be ready to link with Eingana soon. Ready to reshape reality." That worried to the listening Kanan._

' _If they're talking about Ezra, why is this woman saying he's been in a coma for over a year? Ezra has been with us for just over a year. And Ezra said he woke up from a coma just before he met us,' Kanan thought._

" _I still can't believe his powers are so strong. Stronger than even his Force abilities," said another voice._

" _I know. To be able to project a flesh and blood body and interact with people in reality through dreaming is extraordinary," said the woman._

' _Wait, is the Ezra I'm touching right now just a dream made real and his powers has been able to make the life he's been living a reality while dreaming in a coma somewhere else?' Kanan thought. 'Is the real Ezra in a… lab… This Ezra I'm next to right now is real and his experiences Ezra having now is real, but this isn't his REAL body. This body is a projection, but his powers he had realized when he originally went to Arcadia made this flesh and blood. He's been really experiencing everything… through dreams. And the Ezra who is dreaming this is in a lab somewhere. But where?'_

" _Dr. Bridger, he nearly woke up a month ago," the other voice told him._

' _Bridger?' Kanan thought._

" _Just call me, Mira, Dexter. And I know. We're lucky we were able to keep him asleep until his powers reached their peak. Which will be soon," the woman responded. "Like any moment."_

' _Mira Bridger? That's Ezra's mother!' Kanan thought shocked. 'That can't be right. Ezra's mother is gone. She couldn't be a scientist doing this to Ezra.'_

" _Anyway, we've studied him up close enough for now. Let's head back and get some rest. Before the Emperor comes to take Ezra as his apprentice," Mira stated._

' _Did she just say what I think she just said?' Kanan thought._

" _You know Ezra won't agree to that and get killed," the other person told him._

" _By then, reality will be changed," Mira responded before all went silent._

 _Kanan then felt something strange and came out of the probe._

. . . .

Kanan opened his eyes and was shocked to see Ezra fading. _'He's trying to wake up to his original body. I need to find that him, the real him, and fast. Before these people can use them for their own means and the Emperor comes to make Ezra his apprentice or kill him trying,'_ the master thought.

"Kanan, you okay?" came Hera's voice. "And why is Ezra fading?"

He looked at her. "What're you doing up?" he asked.

"I couldn't really sleep after you told me about his dreams. Did you find anything out? And why is Ezra fading?" she asked.

Kanan explained everything he heard and she seemed worried. That's when Ezra's body completely disappeared. "We need to find Ezra's original body fast," he stated. He felt the Force seemingly- fluctuate?- a bit.

Ahsoka quickly came running in. "Where's Ezra?" she asked. "I felt a weird disturbance in the Force." Kanan quickly explained everything. "We need to find him. Fast. If his mother is alive and just studying him… And just before that, I got a vision of Ezra in a room with Lothal showing through a window."

"We should head to find him right away," Hera suggested.

"Right," Ahsoka agreed. "Mind if I tag along?"

"You're welcome to," Kanan answered. "We could use another Jedi to help should anything bad happen." Ahsoka nodded in acceptance. "Hera, take off. The others will wake up as soon as we are and we can explain everything. We can let Commander Sato know in the morning."

Hera nodded. "Where are we thinking first?" she asked.

"Lothal," Ahsoka answered. "Though I doubt Ezra is in a hospital or something on Lothal, seeing Lothal had to be the vision telling me that's where he is." The pilot nodded and quickly took off. "Kanan, why don't you try to contact Ezra telepathically? If him disappearing really is him waking up in his original body, he will be able to hear you through the Force. Because even though the Ezra we've known is just a projection in a way, he is still Ezra and had the powers the original Ezra had. In other words, no matter which Ezra it is, he's still connected to the Force." Kanan nodded. "And Kanan, you know when we contact Sato-"

"We'll have to tell him about Ezra and the Dream, I know," he finished for her. "We'll just have to make sure no one is in the area when we tell him." She nodded and let him try to find his Padawan.

. . .

Ezra's eyes opened and he sat up. He was in a hospital room in Lothal that he recognized from when he woke up from his coma.

An old robotic toy of his called Jay climbed onto his bed. The toy was a robot cat that could talk and practically had a mind of its own. It was his best friend before he was picked up by the rebels. His parents had made it for him when he was younger for a birthday present.

"Ezra! You're awake!" Jay exclaimed.

"What?" the boy questioned. He had to admit, his friend didn't sound the same. Jay climbed onto him. "Jay, get off of me." He groaned as his friend climbed to the foot of the bed. "What time is it? Wait, where… Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Ezra. On Lothal. Don't you remember?" Jay answered.

"I… no," he answered.

"You got really sick. They brought you here to make you better," Jay responded. "I've been watching over you. You've been in a coma for a long, long time."

"What? I'm… I'm not sure," Ezra responded. "I'm confused."

"You just woke up, Ezra. It must be strange to be awake again," Jay told him. "Don't worry. It'll pass. You just need rest. Go back to sleep now. I'll watch over you."

"Jay? You don't sound like yourself," Ezra told him getting a bit nervous. _'The last thing I remember is being on the Ghost with Kanan watching over me to see what I was dreaming,'_ he thought. _'Was… Was that just a dream? Was all of my time with the rebels a dream?'_

"You've been very sick, Ezra. You can't trust yourself right now," the machine responded. "Just close your eyes and go back to sleep. You'll feel much better afterwards."

"No, I… I can't sleep anymore," the boy denied.

"I wouldn't recommend that, Ezra. You're not well. You need to go back to sleep," Jay responded.

"I need to get up," he retorted and stood up.

"I wouldn't recommend that, Ezra. You're not well. You need to-" Ezra cut the robot off.

"Stop it, Jay!" he called. _'He's been there for me all the way until I left with Kanan and the Ghost crew. He was like a sibling and guardian. Best gift from my parents. But… something's not right. He's… not the Jay I remember,'_ he thought.

"Are you tired, Ezra? You must be tired. Let's go back to sleep," Jay suggested again. "I'll stay right here. I promise I won't ever leave you."

"No, I don't want to sleep anymore," Ezra refused.

"You're not feeling well, I can tell. You're exhausted, and you're seeing things that aren't real," Jay responded.

' _Seeing things that aren't real?'_ Ezra thought. "I don't know what's wrong, but it's not me. It's this place," he told the robot. "It's you, Jay. You're all wrong."

"That hurts my feelings, Ezra," Jay responded.

The Padawan sighed and walked around the room. He tried opening both the door to the balcony and the door into the rest of the hospital, but they were locked. "Why would they lock me in a hospital room?" he wondered. He looked a several pictures in the room, remembering the events each time. Including one with his mom and dad. He went to Jay again. "You don't sound right," he told the robot.

"You're imagining things, Ezra," Jay told him. "You're very, very tired. Sleeping will help you feel better. You should go back to sleep, just for a little-"

"No, Jay," Ezra denied. He walked to the door to the rest of the hospital. He began to think to try to use his Force wielding capabilities. He knew that couldn't have been a dream, could it? The Force could open anything. He focused and felt the door's lock release; but when he tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge. "What?" Erza sighed and sat back down on the bed.

"Why don't you go back to sleep, Ezra? You'll feel much better if you do," Jay suggested.

Ezra sighed. "Alright," he agreed and lied down.

. . . .

" _Wake up, Ezra! You must wake up!" called a voice. "Come on, Ezra. Wake up! This place isn't real. You need to get out."_

. . . .

Ezra sat up. "Was that… April?" he wondered. He got up and began to look at a picture of him and an old friend by a ship. He began to think hard though as he studied it, _'I… I don't actually remember this place or this happening. What happened that day?'_ Suddenly, the entire area seemed to glitch and fizz out for a moment like on a computer. "What…?" He looked at the photo again. _'That never happened. I remember talking to my friend about heading to the shipyards, try to steal a few materials. But we didn't do it. Instead, our other friends decided to have us play a game with them.'_ The glitch thing happened again. "Okay, that wasn't in my head. Something's going on." He grabbed the picture and looked at it. Another glitch around the picture before it changed to his friends and him running around the streets.

Ezra shook his head and went to a picture on the wall that held him, his father, and his mother out on a small vacation out of town. _'Mom, Dad and I were planning on going on this trip. But then… then they disappeared before we could. And wait… Mom? Mom, disappeared before that. When I was younger. Dad raised me and gave me a photo of a painting that he made of a dream that he had. Mom was never a part of our life,'_ he thought before the glitch effect happened around him. "Okay, is reality glitching or something?" He looked at the picture closer and it glitched like the other before it turned to the background as their house and his mother was gone. "All these memories… They're not real."

"What're you doing, Ezra?" Jay asked. "You shouldn't be on your feet. You're probably seeing things. Please lie down, just for a moment. I'll watch over you. I'll sing for you." He looked at each picture again, thinking about the wrong things with them. "This isn't going to help anyone, Ezra. You're just going to ruin everything. Please stop, please go back to bed. Go back to sleep, Ezra." Suddenly everything began to bug out and glitch.

"Everything here is a hallucination or projection. None of this is real," Ezra realized. "I need to get out of here."

"Look what you've done," Jay stated. "Why couldn't you just leave things be? We could be happy here, together. The both of us, forever. I need you to go back to sleep, Ezra. Now, before it's too late. Before…" He stopped and then replayed the same sentences again like a broken protocol droid.

Ezra sat next to his old, robotic friend. "Something's wrong. This place, and… you. You're all wrong," he told the robot. "You're not you."

"That doesn't make sense, Ezra. Of course, I'm me. I've always been me. Jay. Your old friend. Your best friend in the whole world," Jay responded.

"You look the same, but you don't act the same or sound the same," Ezra told him. "It's like… Like someone put you together from memory, but didn't get the details right. They didn't know you like I know you. And they probably figured it wouldn't matter." He then realized it. "That's what's wrong with this whole place. It's made of memories, but some of them aren't right. The Ghost crew, Arcadia… I wasn't dreaming. They were real. This is the dream, or… A dream made physical. By me. I made this! And I can see through it."

"But… I'm real, Ezra," Jay stated. "Aren't I?"

"Of course you are, Jay. Of course you're real," the human replied.

"Are you sure you don't want to play a game? We haven't played a game in so long," the robot asked.

"Sorry, Jay," Ezra denied.

"Okay, then. Promise to wake me up later?" Jay requested.

"I promise," Ezra agreed before touching the robot.

Jay began to fade, saying, "Night."

"I'll miss you, too, buddy," Ezra muttered as his old friend disappeared completely.

The Padawan stood up and began to walk along the walls of the room, trying to find an exit. He walked towards a wall when he noticed he could see a white tiled wall behind the fake scenery. When he got near a television, he noticed it was not a television, but a one-way window. _'They've been observing me…'_ he thought. Ezra quickly found himself walking through the bed and noticed a door behind the fake bed and wall. He pressed a button and the door opened. He slowly walked through a white tiled hallway. He reached a section that had what looked like a field of some sort separating it from the rest of the hallway. He slowly slid his hand through to find his hand and arm covered in a white sleeve. He went all the way through to find him in a white and blue, jumpsuit like outfit.

" _Ezra! Ezra, can you hear me?"_ came Kanan's voice.

" _K-Kanan?"_ he called back.

" _Ezra, it's about time you responded. I've been trying to contact you since you disappeared from the ship,"_ the master responded. _"Where are you?"_

" _In a lab somewhere I think,"_ he answered. _"And I haven't been hearing you until now. I didn't know you were trying to contact me. Then again, I just found my way out of a fake room-place thing."_

" _That makes no sense, Ezra,"_ Kanan responded.

" _Anyway, I'm going to try to figure out this place. Do you think you can find me through the Force?"_ he asked.

" _We just arrived on Lothal looking for you. I can faintly feel your signature. I think we'll be able to find you with it,"_ Kanan explained.

" _I have a bad feeling of what I'm going to find here. So hurry,"_ Ezra responded.

" _We'll be there as soon as we can,"_ Kanan responded before going silent.

Ezra slowly walked through the hall. Sirens were blaring and red lights were flashing, almost like they were on a lockdown. _'Probably because of me,'_ Ezra thought. As he neared a t-section, he noticed the Imperial symbol along one tiled wall and on the directly opposite set of tiles was a name called Jiva. _'That name sounds… familiar,'_ he thought before continuing walking. At the turning point, it had a map and a map key for the area. _'Incubation…? What are they incubating exactly?'_

Ezra shook it off for the time being and turned to the left to find the door locked with a heavy-duty scan. Seeing no other choice, he turned to go to the other hall which was the direction of Incubation. He opened the door with ease. He found four Incubation pods, each with a name on it, but there wasn't a baby. The first was labeled, " _ **One-nine. Faith**_ ". _'As in Faith, my half-sister?'_ he thought. He turned to the next, " _ **One-five. Hope**_ ". He then followed to the next, " _ **One-three. Hanna**_ ". And then the last, " _ **One-one. Ezra**_ ". That shocked the boy to no end as he thought, _'Me? But… was I made in a lab or something?'_

Ezra turned to another section that was like a study room. It had a device for studying brain waves that seemed a bit unpleasant to be around. He looked at a notepad on the side and read it. It was a message from… _'My… mom?'_ Ezra thought. _'But I thought my mom was gone. Dead.'_ He shook his head and read the report. It was about him as a physical status report. _'They've been monitoring me for over a year. In that room. But I've been with Kanan and the others for just over a year. That…'_ He let his thoughts trail off.

Ezra turned and opened the next door and way towards the next area of hallways. But as he opened the door, he heard the other open and saw a light come in. He immediately ran through after they spoke, letting him know it was a Stormtrooper. Once he was out, he saw another coming in from another hall in front of him. He turned to another one which led to "Sequencing" and hurried to find the door locked, only to be opened by a key card. He turned to look to see the light pointing down the hall he was in, signalling a Stormtrooper was coming.

Suddenly, a voice said on an open com, "We have runner by bioengineering. This is not the Briar-rose, shoot to kill." The Stormtrooper changed directions and he heard them leaving the hallway. Ezra slowly peeked around the corner to see the Stormtrooper shooting with someone gasping and crying out before falling.

"Target is down. Repeat, the target is down," the Stormtrooper said.

"Affirmative. Head back to bioengineering," the leading voice said. "If there are any witnesses, take care of them."

"Affirmative, Empire," the Stormtrooper agreed before leaving moving forward and away from his location.

Ezra slowly and silently moved to the main hallway again and looked around the corner to see the dead scientist's body and the Stormtrooper leaving the area. Ezra slowly made his way to the body and looked at him sadly. He noticed a key card on his suit. _'Sorry, but I need this more than you,'_ Ezra told the man mentally and took the key card.

Ezra hurriedly, but silently, walked back to the Sequencing door and opened it with the key card.

As he did, he saw about a dozen people get shot and fall to the ground dead. He heard the Stormtrooper leave the room. _'What is going on here exactly? From what I saw in that first hallway I was in, both these scientists and the Imps were working together. So, why is the Empire killing all these people?'_ he thought.

The door closed behind him, but he could hear a Stormtrooper approaching from the other side. There were two exits. One across from him and one the Stormtrooper that killed all these people left through. Seeing no other choice, Ezra bolted for the one across from him.

Just as he exited, the Stormtrooper from the hallway he had come from opened the door and pointed the gun at him. Just as he was about to shoot, Ezra hit the door key to close and lock the door before darting away. As he got to another T-section, a Stormtrooper appeared from the hallway across from him and he darted around the corner, barely missing behind shot. Ezra opened the door to see an all too familiar person with two Stormtroopers pointing a gun at her.

She turned to him. "Hello, Ezra."

"Mom?" Ezra called.

. . .

Kanan, Ahsoka, Zeb, Sabine, and Hera were hurrying through the hallways, avoiding Stormtroopers if they could, shooting those that they couldn't. As they reached the Incubation room, Hera stopped for a moment.

"Kanan, you might want to see this," she called. They hurried over and noticed the Incubation pod labeled Ezra.

"Was Ezra… made in a lab?" Sabine wondered.

"I don't know. But we need to find him," Kanan stated. "Come on." They nodded and hurried through the halls again. They came up to Sequencing when they noticed all the dead bodies. They inspected the bodies for a second.

"Stormtroopers shot these people," Ahsoka commented.

"Why? Since when do they shoot innocent people?" Zeb asked.

"When they have a specific target and those people are getting in the way of it," Kanan answered. "Ezra has to be close by." They hurried out when they saw a Stormtrooper heading down a hall just to the right of them.

"Think Ezra's down there?" Sabine asked.

"If I am feeling his Force signature right, yeah," Kanan answered.

They hurried behind the Stormtrooper before Ahsoka knocked him out. They neared the door when they heard a voice. It wasn't Ezra's…

"Hello, Ezra," a woman Kanan recognized from his Padawan's dreams.

"Mom?" the boy responded. He shook his head. "Mira. What's going on? What is this place?"

Kanan and the others didn't wait a second more before opening the door and stepping in front of Ezra.

"Kanan! Guys!" Ezra greeted.

Mira placed a mask on before hitting a button. Before they could put anything on to protect themselves from the gas, they blacked out.

. . .

Ezra slowly woke up in a containment pod. He noticed Kanan, Ahsoka and his friends locked to a pole by cuffs. He also noticed Mira working by the center console. In the center of the console was a swirling, blue vortex.

Ezra began to bang on the glass of the container to get any acknowledgement from his mother. She turned to him. "There you are," she greeted. He noticed the others waking up as Mira walked over.

"Mom? What…?" he couldn't finish any questions, despite having so many swirling in his head.

"You must have a lot of questions," Mira responded.

"Why am I locked in here?" Ezra asked, trying to find a way out. "Let me out!"

"I can't do that, but I promise I'll explain. Just… try to relax," Mira responded.

"Let him out," Kanan ordered pulling at his bonds, but they wouldn't budge. Even Zeb could get out of his.

"I can't do that," Mira responded. "Not yet."

"What did you do?" Ezra asked tense.

"I had to subdue them. There's so much at stake, I couldn't afford anyone getting overly emotional," Mira explained.

Ezra groaned in annoyance. "Let me out now!" he ordered.

"After you're done, you can leave. You and your friends," Mira told him.

"Done with what?" Ezra asked.

"The culmination of thirty years of research. My life's work," Mira answered. "Rebooting the universe."

"What?" Ezra responded and the others were getting as tense as he was.

"I will explain, and hopefully you'll understand," Mira replied. "But first, I do need you to calm down and be rational. Nothing good will come from panicking." Despite every inch of Ezra wanting to get out and try to convince his mother to let him out, he knew nothing would get him out; So, he took a deep breath to calm himself. "That's better. Deep breaths, Ezra. Now listen to me. For the past year and a half, you've been in a coma. Here, inside these labs on Lothal. You've been dreaming."

"No, that's not possible-" Ezra began.

"Hold on, I'm not saying it's all been a dream. Everything you've experienced has been real. That's what so amazing and exciting, Ezra! While you were dreaming, you projected a physical binary of yourself into the waking world. Think of it like entangled particles. One here in my lab, and one fighting the Empire with your friends over there. You dreamed yourself a new life in the galaxy… and it came to be as real as anything," Mira explained.

"Why?" Ezra asked.

"Two reasons: To keep the Empire off our backs. And, more importantly, to trigger your memories and activate your latent powers. We needed you to return to that… that parallel otherworld to find and absorb a primal source of dreaming energy. To fulfill your potential," Mira explained further.

Ezra then whispered, almost inaudibly, "Lux… Are you there?"

"You have a unique skill. You must of realized this by now. You can reshape reality," Mira told him.

"I'm a Dreamer," Ezra responded.

"There have always been stories of those with powers to change the world. But I couldn't wait around for that to happen. So… your father and I made you," Mira told him.

"What do you mean by 'made'?" Ezra asked.

"You were the first experiment. Our first creation," Mira began. "We designed you. The first manufactured 'Dreamer'. You were born in this lab. There were other experiments. Half-sisters. Faith, of course… the final girl. She was a mistake. And you met Hanna before you went on with the rebels. She was the second experiment, after you. You were drawn to each other, and she was drawn here. To Eingana, to the dreams. I know she's in Lothal, but she's not strong enough to affect anything. She poses no threat. None of them worked out, not the way we intended. And I didn't think you would either. So I let your father take you away when you were a toddler. He cared so much about you, he was willing to give up everything. His life, his career… me. How could I say no? It wasn't until you fell into that coma that I realized your powers were there, only latent. That's why I kept you in that coma, and brought you here. I did it to protect you. If I didn't, the Empire would have taken you. Your father had already been captured and killed by the Empire. So it was up to me to keep you safe. I saved your life, Ezra. And once we've finished changing the universe, you can go home."

"Changing what?" Ezra asked obviously not happy with what he was hearing.

"Changing everything. For the better. I need you to understand this. We're going to remake the world, you and I," Mira explained.

"How?" Ezra asked.

"I don't have time to go into details, but… There's a place we go when we dream," Mira began.

"Storytime," Ezra commented.

"Different cultures have different names for it. Some cultures call it Dreamtime," Mira responded. "Think of it as the initial state between all matter and energy, in every possible universe. The blueprint. All realities originated in this initial state, and they remained entangled, evolving, one universe affecting another. Wave energies are fueled by dreams. Particles in our world are entangled with particles in Arcadia, because they were created together in Storytime. Eingana has the power to change the wave field, and thus, the observable universe… through dreams."

"What's the Empire's role in this?" Ezra asked.

"The Empire funded us, funded the development of the device you heard about called the Dreamachine. We needed it to collect and store dream energy. The Dreamachine facilitated that. They thought we were working for them, not the other way around," Mira explained. "The Empire just wanted to brainwash their people. Make them believe that they were okay to rule by giving those they thought needed them the Dreamachine. They have no imagination."

"And Arcadia…?" Ezra pressed.

"One of many worlds spawned from dreams. And world of…" Mira sighed. "I'm a scientist, I don't understand magic or the Force really. It's chaotic, complex, and unpredictable. Magic is dangerous, and it has no place in a rational universe. But… we needed it. We had to bridge the Divide in order to store these vast quantities of dream energy. We put things in motion to return you to Arcadia, but you did most of the work yourself. Of course, we had help on… on the other side. A partner. But he didn't- You did it on your own, Ezra. You were compelled to connect with the primal force that inhabited the initial state before this universe. That was only possible by crossing the Divide. Something called you there. Some… force guided you. I don't know how to quantify it or explain it. But you succeeded. You absorbed the energy and it didn't kill you. You got stronger. Strong enough to wake up and break out. Sooner than anticipated, but… the timing ended up being perfect. You've reached your full potential. You're finally ready to interface with Eingana."

"Eingana?" Ezra questioned.

"Meet Eingana," Mira responded and they all looked at the swirling vortex either in front of or behind them. Kanan and the others were getting tense, dying to find a way to reach Ezra. But there didn't seem to be any easy way. "It took me decades to design and build her. She spans dimensions and taps into dream energies… She's quite the thing. But she's actually not the first. The Empire had the prototype. They used her to operate the beta-version of DreamNet. After she was destroyed, we built Eingana II. She operates the version of DreamNet currently processing and recording the dreams of hundreds of millions of Dreamachine users. And now we're reversing the process. With you as the conduit, connecting quantum fields, connecting Dreamtime with reality, Eingana will begin to alter our observable universe." Ezra gave a nervous and tense look. He was struggling not to glare in refusal. He wasn't wanting or ready to reshape the entire universe. "Don't look so worried, Ezra. You won't need to do anything. She knows what to do. I've programmed her, and my template will guide her. Together, you'll make a better universe. A universe without death. A universe without sickness, intolerance… A universe where everyone is equal, where justice and compassion will prevail. A universe not ruled by corporations or religions, but by science and logic, by rational thought. A better world." Ezra stayed silent and glared defensively.

"Let Ezra go. You can't force him to play this game your playing," Hera stated.

"No matter the universe you make, nothing will be so perfect as you're imagining," Ahsoka told Mira. "Just let him go."

"Sorry. I know you feel protective of my son, but you don't have to worry about him until we're done. And we need to get started before those goons break down the doors and ruin everything," the scientist responded.

"Mira, wait-" Ezra tried. But she didn't and pressed a button. Five laser like light sprung into Ezra. He passed out almost immediately, while floating slightly.

"You have no idea what you're doing," Kanan told her.

"Just relax. Once we're done, you'll all be free to leave," Mira responded.

"Let me out of these and you'll see how relaxed I can be," Zeb stated angrily. Despite all the arguments him and Ezra got into, they knew Zeb was just messing with Ezra and saw him as family.

. . .

Ezra slowly woke up on a rocky ground in the outfit he had worn when he was in Storytime. Around him was like a tunnel of spiraling energy. He stood up when he noticed Crow.

"Crow?" Ezra greeted shocked. "Is that you?"

"I think so. I'm- I'm supposed to show you something," the bird replied.

"What? Why? What're you doing here?" Ezra asked. "Or better yet, where is here?"

"I don't know. I don't even know how I got here, I'm- I'm, ah, a bit… a bit… I don't feel right. I'm not sure what happened, and… I'm not sure I'm all here. If that makes any sense?" Crow replied.

"Not really," Ezra responded.

"No, yeah, no. I can see how that makes no sense," Crow responded.

"What are you supposed to show me?" Ezra asked.

"Oh! I almost forgot! So the ghost in the machine told me to do this thing. This one last thing. The ghost said this has been my destiny all along," Crow replied. "I don't expect you'll know what I'm talking about?"

"Crow, I don't even know where this is. A minute ago, I was inside a pob in a lab, and now-" Ezra was cut off by the bird.

"We're inside the quantum weave that makes all the stories. This is reality's blueprint," Crow explained. "Uh… how did I know that? What does 'quantum' mean? What's a 'blueprint'?"

"That explains everything," Ezra responded sarcastically.

"That was sarcasm. I detect sarcasm," Crow responded annoyed.

"That… ghost in the machine you mentioned. Who was it?" Ezra asked.

"No idea. I remember nothing before meeting you here… aside from a ghost telling me to show you what I'm about to show you. And I don't even know what that is," Crow replied.

"Show me what? There's nothing here," Ezra questioned.

"Let's go find it," Crow suggested before they began their trek along a stone path. They soon found themselves in a memory like area that seemed like a room in an old monastery. "Does this look at all familiar to you?"

"It looks like an old monastery," Ezra answered.

"There you go! Maybe that's it!" Crow exclaimed.

"That doesn't really help," Ezra retorted. He noticed a diary on a desk. "That's a diary." Ezra walked up and began to read it with Crow: " _ **I am at a crossroads between waking and dream. One path leads back to the world I left behind. The other path… The other path leads to a place of shadows. Between the familiar and the unknown, between certainty and doubt, my choice would seem obvious. Any sane man would turn around, return to the world he knows, forget what he has learned, and live his life in blissful ignorance. But in truth, it is too late. My choice was made many years ago, when I first embarked on this journey. I cannot turn back. I am at a crossroads, but for me, there's only one path. I leave behind these words in the hope that, someday, they'll serve as a map for someone else. To whomever reads this, Godspeed on your journey. If you ever decide to follow in my footsteps, look me up. Brian Westhouse.**_ " Ezra then said, "Brian Westhouse? Our Westhouse?"

"The plot thickens!" Crow exclaimed.

"Or gets more confusing," Ezra responded. "I don't know what this is supposed to tell us."

"That Westhouse is involved?" Crow suggested.

"I guess there's that," Ezra replied.

"Come on. There's more," Crow responded before flying out with Ezra following.

As they walked, they heard a voice say, "We're ready, traveller. Your journey is about to begin." They neared another door and heard the voice say louder and closer, "The ritual is ready. Step onto the dais, traveller." Ezra turned the corner with Crow and they saw Brian surrounded by a blue portal like area before disappearing.

"Okay, so what just happened?" Ezra asked.

"Portals. They're all over the place," Crow answered. "Let's follow him."

"Wait!" Ezra called but it was too late and they found themselves in what appeared to be Storytime.

They came up and saw Brian talking with the Vagabond. "What're you doing here? You cannot be here. It will find you," the Vagabond told the man.

"I… don't… Where am I? What is this place?" Brian asked.

"How did you get here? Go back the way you came. Quickly. You cannot stay," Vagabond told him.

"I don't… know how to go," Brian told him.

"It is here. What have you done? What have you done?" Vagabond responded.

"What do you mean? What?" Brian questioned.

"The Undreaming," Vagabond answered and they turned to see a black, mist like cloud appearing.

"God… What is that? What?" Brian stated backing up fearfully. It approached him and Brian tried to run. "No. No! No!" But he fell onto his back again and it entered him.

"What is that terrifying thing?" Crow asked.

"That's the Undreaming… I know it is. I feel it," Ezra answered.

"Well, that's going to give me nightmares for a long, long time," Crow responded.

"The Undreaming entered Brian," Ezra commented.

"It sure did," Crow agreed.

"Was he looking for it? Is that why he came here? Or was it an accident…?" Ezra wondered.

"I guess that's what you're supposed to figure out," Crow answered. "Come on. We have more places to visit."

They found themselves back on the rocky path that they were originally on. They walked forward a bit before another memory came into view. It was Brian sitting on a bench by a building.

"Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Brian exclaimed quietly. "Will you not stay silent for one bloody minute? I can't-" He took a sip of a bottle of wine or some sort of alcoholic drink, "I can't think, I can't sleep, I can't dream. I can't have you inside me. You're eating me up. Why are you not doing what I've asked you to do? You're supposed to give me power. You're supposed to serve me. Not-Not the other way around. Stop… whispering! Magic must be destroyed for the worlds to become one. For Stark and Arcadia to reconnect. For me to return home. You must help me accomplish this. You must listen to me. You see, if magic leaks into Stark, it'll cause chaos and mayhem. Millions will die. I-I don't have a choice." He put on a mask. "We don't have a choice. It must be done." The scene then disappeared.

"So Brian is the Prophet! That's a twist I didn't see coming. Who am I kidding, of course I saw it coming," Crow commented.

"Brian's possessed by the Undreaming and he brings it to Arcadia. And then it starts… talking to him? Controlling him?" Ezra wondered.

"Sounded to me like he wanted to control it," Crow responded.

"Why, though?" Ezra wondered.

"Uh, to destroy magic?" Crow suggested.

"There must be more to it than that," Ezra replied.

"I'm just repeating what he saw. Come on. There's much more," Crow called. They moved forward more.

They came up on another memory and saw a familiar woman, the White Dragon, and place. "I've been here before," Ezra commented.

"The Dark People's library. Something happened here that-" Crow stopped as the scene began to play out.

"Who's there? Hello?" the White Dragon greeted. She turned to look behind her. "Funny bird, is that you? Oh, I didn't… see you. Are you looking for something?" Brian stepped into a picture with a spear ready to strike it down on her. "Wait, no, what are you-" She screamed as Brian killed the White Dragon and the scene vanished.

"He killed the White Dragon," Ezra realized.

"Yeah, and I was there. I saw Mr. Westhouse… and he saw me," Crow responded. "He tried to kill me, too, but- I was struck with something from that pointy magic stick of his, and I-I blacked out. Next thing I know, I was stowed away on a ship to Sadir. I must've crawled into a barrel or something. I didn't remember any of it until… until the Prophet grabbed me. I hurt him, there was blood, and- I don't know what happened next, but his blood… That's what helping me pull you into these memories. The Prophet's blood! Is that weird?"

"Not any weirder than anything else I've experienced within this past month," Ezra answered.

"Welcome to my life," Crow responded before they continued their walk.

They soon came up on another memory. "Do you question the Goddess, Utana?" the Prophet asked an older woman.

"Of… Of course not. I just want… I need to understand why all non humans must be destroyed," the woman, Utana, replied.

"Magic is an aberration. It has no place in the cosmos. It's chaos. And chaos interferes with logic, with the Engine. With Her plans," the Prophet answered.

"This I understand. Reunification cannot happen as long as Arcadia is ruled by magic. But the non humans-" Utana was cut off.

"If we are to fulfill the wishes of the Goddess, we must purify the world. Only then can the mechanical Engine serve Her. Do you understand now?" the Prophet interrupted.

"I… Yes, Master," Utana agreed. "My Office will establish camps and ship non humans to the islands. And I'll find someone to spearhead the program to… eradicate magicals."

"Good," the Prophet responded. "I'll be leaving for the Northlands soon, to oversee the final construction of the Tower and the Engine. I trust Azadir is in good hands."

"The Masked Council listens to me only. The Six will continue to heed our advice. Sadir belongs to us, Master Prophet," Utana assured.

"And this new Emissary?" Prophet asked.

"Sister Sahya will join you. She's young but clever. And loyal. She'll serve you well in Marcuria," Utana explained.

"I trust your judgement. Send word when the camps are ready, Utana," the Prophet ordered. The scene then disappeared.

"Did you understand that?" Ezra asked his bird friend.

"No, but that was mother Utana. She took me in after I arrived in Sadir. I did some work for her. She helped me get back to Marcuria. Kian and her appeared to be very close, until… until she stabbed him," Crow replied. "With a knife. To the belly."

"She did what?" Ezra asked shocked.

"That… that just happened. Out there. Before the Prophet wrung my neck and- Oh, Mother of Ravens! I remember now. I remember what happened! I-I think I died. Am I dead?" Crow asked.

"You're here. That's all I know," Ezra answered. "So, Mother… Mother Utana served the Prophet and the Prophet orchestrates the destruction of magicals. Which means Brian is responsible for-for actual genocide!"

"I feel weird, Ezra. I don't like this feeling. I'm… I'm scared," Crow told him.

"I'm sorry, Crow," the Padawan responded before they moved forward.

They reached the end of the road when a scene of the Prophet appeared. He used a stone and the Undreaming came out of him and into the stone.

A wizard Ezra recognized as Roper Klacks came up and told the Prophet after a bit of talking before hand, "That… place. It was-It was filled with… with numbers. And… calculations. An eternity of equations. I couldn't find my way out. It was terrifying. So much power… I owe you my life, sir."

"And now you will serve me," the Prophet stated.

"How?" Klacks asked.

"You'll help me build something. A mechanical Engine," the Prophet answered.

"Like that 'calculator' I was trapped in?" Klacks asked.

"Something like it, but much greater. On a scale never before seen," the Prophet answered. "In return, I'll grant you power."

"Power… What kind of power?" Klacks inquired.

"The kind you once knew, Necromancer King," the Prophet answered.

"That was a long time ago… In another age. One in which magic meant something," Klacks answered. "I accept your proposition. So what's next-" Klacks stopped and gasped as the Prophet placed the stone in the wizard. "What did you do? What did you put inside me?"

The Prophet took off his mask. "Something to keep safe. Something that must remain hidden."

"It whispers to me," Klacks stated.

"Don't listen to it. The Undreaming has ambitions. Best we don't let those ambitions look on the world," Brian responded. "Not yet. Tell no one of this. There are those willing to commit murder to get what's inside you."

"My- My lips are sealed, Master. I swear," Klacks assured.

"Only the sceptre can shatter the shard of the soul-stone you carry within," Brian told him.

"The soul-stone? My soul-stone?" Klacks asked in awe.

"It was never yours, wizard… But, yes. A piece of it," Brian replied. "This sceptre and the soul-stone were forged from the same Dream, at the beginning of everything."

"Is that- Is that the Silver Spear of Gorimon?" Klacks asked. "Where did you find it? It harbors great and ancient magics. Could I-?"

"No," Brian denied before the wizard could even finish. "And not magic. This is an object older than magic. It can both control and destroy magic. It's capable of slicing through the fabric between worlds."

"It… so beautiful," Klacks complimented.

"I spent decades looking for it. I found it with one of the Draic Kin," Brian explained.

"It looks… alive?" Klacks commented.

"It's been fed the blood of dragons, charged with the oldest magic of them all," Brian explained. "It's finally ready. And once the Engine's been built, the sceptre's true powers will be revealed. You'll stay close to me in Marcuria. I'll call on you when I need you. With the help of the Azadi nation, you'll build my Engine. They're eager for the power they believe it'll grant them. They'll serve me… their Prophet. In exchange, you'll have everything you could ever want. You'll be there, next to me, reshaping worlds."

"I look forward to it, Master," Klacks agreed before the scene vanished.

"I figured that wizard couldn't be trusted," Ezra commented.

"I could've told you that. Wait! I did," Crow responded. "He was there. Klacks. When the Prophet broke my neck. He's working for the Prophet!"

"So Klacks has a shard of the soul-stone inside him. And that soul-stone must be the same one I brought Lux," Ezra commented. "Why does the Prophet need to keep it safe?"

"Something to do with the Undreaming?" Crow suggested.

"The Undreaming…" Ezra muttered. He then realized something. "It's inside the shard. It's not inside Westhouse because they it'd be controlling him. And he's controlling it. You were right, Crow."

"I was? I was!" the bird exclaimed. "I think… I think this is what I was supposed to show you."

"Okay, so what's next?" Ezra asked.

"We keep walking, I guess," Crow replied. "I mean, maybe there's more to see." And sure enough the once dead end extended farther and Ezra could see someone painting in the distance.

"April?" Crow responded landing on the easel.

"You. I should've guessed you'd be here. Or… It's not actually you. This place is strange. You're probably just an… an echo. A ghost," Ezra stated. "What was that whole thing about 'find her, save her'? I found you. But I didn't save you. I didn't save anyone."

April turned to him. "You did," she answered.

"How?" Ezra asked.

"I was trapped. You freed me," April answered.

"You died," Ezra responded.

"And was reborn," April told him.

"Reborn… How?" Ezra asked. April stayed silent. "You're either not telling or this echo is incomplete. I know this can't be you, not really. Because you're dead, and this is just-" The Padawan sighed. "So, what do I do now? I'm supposed to save the Dream, but I don't know how."

"What have you learned?" April replied.

"I don't know… Brian brought the Undreaming to Arcadia. First it was inside him, but then he put it into the soul-stone shard. He became the Prophet, and he manipulated the Azadi people and freed Klacks, and- Klacks! The shard's inside Klacks. Which means the Undreaming is inside Klacks and the spear can shatter it," Ezra realized.

"The one that killed the White Dragon?" Crow asked.

"The Silver Spear of… Gorimon. That's what you were supposed to show me, Crow. The key to destroying the shard and unleashing the Undreaming," Ezra replied. "The Undreaming isn't the real danger here. I mean, yes, it is dangerous, but only because Brian is using it. Controlling it. We need to unleash the Undreaming."

"That sounds a teensy weensy bit risky to me," Crow responded.

"I know, but- This is what has to happen. I know it. I don't know why I know. Maybe it's because Lux knows and Lux is a part of me now," Ezra responded.

"We find the spear, murder Klacks and unleash the Undreaming, all by ourselves?" Crow asked.

"We can't. We need help. We need-" April cut the Padawan off.

"Kian," she told him.

"Kian! If I can get word to Kian, then- There's still hope! I need to get out of here," Ezra responded. "How do I get out of here?"

"Good luck, Ezra," April replied before Ezra saw him glow and found himself vanishing.

. . .

Ezra woke up and looked around. He found himself still in his pod and noticed his mother working and she didn't notice he was awake. He notice his friends talking tense. Hera silently gestured towards Ezra and when they looked, the Padawan made a gesture telling them to not let his mother know he was awake.

Ezra looked at the panel that was impossible for him to get to at the moment. He looked at the vortex for a moment before noticing the blue lines and seeming gaps in the ceiling. _'Reality is wavering. Breaking apart. The walls between dream and reality are starting to get thin near the vortex. It's Eingana's doing. And- And mine. Wait, does that mean I can-?'_ He called upon he dreaming powers and the others were shocked when markings glowed along his body. _'Yes! I'm on the border between waking and dreams. Storytime's right here. A thought away. Which means… I can shape dreams. I can shape reality.'_ He looked at the panel and tried to use his powers to open it but it was locked with a code. He looked at his mother and listened to her mind, trying to find the code. _'There it is! 7-9-1-4.'_ He looked back at the panel and used his powers to type in the code. And with that, the pod opened and he stepped out.

Mira turned to him. "What? This isn't right. You shouldn't be able to… Hold on, Ezra. Just wait. Let's- Let's just talk this through. If you don't reconnect with Eingana, the wave fields will collapse before they've reached their assigned amplitudes. Don't you understand?" She began to walk towards the button that would release the gas again. "This reality is perfectly entangled with the proto reality-"

"Stop," Ezra ordered before using his powers to close the lid to the button. He turned his friends and unlocked their cuffs with a motion of his hand. They immediately stood up.

"Your powers are manifesting in observed reality, independent of the quantum field generated by Eingana… That's interesting. That means… The world is changing. You're in control," Mira stated. "It's working, Ezra! It's working! It's beginning to-"

"Enough," Kanan stated getting in front of Ezra protectively while the others pointed their weapons.

"Wait, what's that?" Ezra asked and they noticed what looked like a gap into another place. He then ran up to it.

"Ezra, wait!" Kanan called.

The boy stopped at an opening where a girl stood at the center, seeming to be the one keeping the gap open. "Hey," the girl greeted.

"Hey?" Ezra greeted back.

"Nice outfit," the girl complimented.

"Thanks. You've opened a portal between Lothal and Arcadia," Ezra responded.

"It's called a Shift," the girl told him.

"You're a Shifter?" Ezra asked.

"Not really. I usually walk Paths that are already open," the girl replied. "To be honest, I'm not very good at this. I need to stay right here and keep the Shift open, so we'll have to skip handshakes and move on to the main event." Ezra noticed the man behind her. "Kian, Ezra. Ezra, Kian. I know you guys are supposed to speak. That's why we're all here. So speak. And, uh, make it quick?"

Ezra walked through the Shift. "We've met before in-"

"We have. We keep missing each other and-" Kian interrupted only to be interrupted by Ezra.

"We do. We don't-"

"I'm just-"

"What?" Ezra questioned.

"You first, Ezra," Kian told him.

"I know who the Prophet is and how to stop the Undreaming. At least, I think I do. But it's all we have and- Roper Klacks. He's the key. He has a shard of the soul-stone inside him, but we need the Silver Spear of Gorimon to destroy it and that's-"

"Ezra, slow down," Kian requested. "The… Undreaming?"

"A destructive force capable of… of unmaking the universe. The Prophet's using it to destroy magic and reunite the worlds," the boy explained.

"And this magical spear?" Kian continued.

"The Silver Spear of Gorimon… The Prophet used it to kill the Draic Kin, charging it with dragon's blood. He needs it to destroy magic and alter the Dream. The spear is the only thing that can shatter the shard inside Klacks," Ezra explained further.

"Of course. And where do we find this spear?" Kian asked.

"The Prophet carries it with him. I don't think he let's it out of his sight," Ezra replied.

"So, find the Prophet, find the spear," Kian responded.

"And, probably, Klacks," Ezra added.

"Klacks was here. I punched him… but he got away," Kian told him.

"Someone survived being punched by you?" Ezra asked nearly laughing.

"I held back. He called himself an engineer," Kian explained.

"The Prophet's been using Klacks, like he's been using your people," Ezra told him.

"But why does he want to kill magicals?" Kian asked.

"Maybe in his own, twisted head, he believes he's doing the universe a favor," Ezra suggested.

"Can you guys get a move on? I'm not sure how long I can keep this doorway open," the girl called.

"We need to stop the Prophet, Kian," Ezra told him. "And we stop him by destroying the shard that Roper Klacks carries inside him."

"You're certain this will stop the… the Undreaming?" Kian asked.

"I think so. It… It feels right. Besides, what have we got to lose?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing. Everything. But if we can stop the prophet by taking his spear and killing a wizard… This is something I can do," Kian responded.

"I'm coming with you," Ezra stated.

"No-" Kian stated but the girl cut in.

"No, you can't. We're not done here," the girl chimed in.

"I'll see the two of you afterwards," Kian stated before leaving.

"No you won't," the girl responded.

"What?" Ezra questioned.

"Nothing. I'm Saga," the girl introduced.

"You know me," Ezra responded.

"Listen, this may look easy… but it's not. Weight of worlds on my shoulders, the pull of alien gravities, knees buckling, etcetera. So you need to not distract me," Saga told him.

"Sorry. What should I-" Saga interrupted the Padawan.

"We wait. I opened the Shift, you spoke to Kian, that's why I was sent here. What comes next… it's not up to me," she told him.

"How do you know all this-"

"Because that's how the story goes, and it's been written, and we can't change that. Now shush," Saga replied.

"Fine," Ezra agreed.

"Ezra! Get back in here!" Kanan called. Ezra sighed but walked back to the other side of the Shift. He turned as he heard a person on the other side say, "Whoa. Sorcery." A couple people had arrived. A nerdy looking boy and a strange looking girl.

"Not really. But great that you could make it," Saga responded.

"Who the hell are you?" the girl asked.

"Is everyone going to asked me that question?" Saga scoffed. "Who am I kidding, of course everyone's going to ask me that question. I'm just the woman keeping the doorway open because I was asked to do so and I couldn't say no. I have no idea who you are, lady, so I'm going to guess you're not that important. But him? He's got a job to do."

"Is that… Stark? Is that Stark through there?" the man asked.

"Is it?" the woman asked.

"One of the worlds you would call Stark," Ezra stated walking back in. "Hi. I'm Ezra."

"Anna. This one's Ferdows," the woman introduced.

"I always believed the stories about a mirror world, but this… It's incredible," Ferdows stated in awe.

"Where's Kian? Is he alright? We lost contact with him," Anna stated.

"He went after the Prophet," Ezra answered.

"Of course he did," Anna retorted.

"Sorry, but Saga… How are these two going to help?" Ezra asked the girl holding the Shift open.

"I don't know. I'm a glorified doorkeeper. Why don't you ask them?" she replied.

"Don't look at me. He's the star here," Anna stated gesturing to Ferdows. He just stared at the portal. "Ferdows? Ferdows, stop staring at that bloody portal!"

"Oh! Uh. Yeah. Hello," he stated as he snapped back to reality.

"Tell this one what you're planning," Anna ordered.

He looked at Ezra. "I- Ah, I was going to feed the Engine a series of calculations designed to make it, um, to force it to… Well, to stop."

"You mean, crash it?" Ezra asked.

"Crash? Yes! Yes, exactly! How did you know? Do you also code spheres?" Ferdows asked.

"Spheres? I know coding and stuff like that," Ezra answered. "So you can force the Engine to crash?"

"Yes. I mean, no. I could have. Not anymore. It stopped taking new instructions when it began running the final calculations, and-" Ezra cut the engineer off.

"There's no way to get in?" the Padawan asked.

"No, it's a closed system. Once the final set of instructions are running, there's nothing… I mean, I didn't write the core operational code. If I knew more about how this code functions, then maybe-" Ferdows was once again cut off by Ezra.

"Do you have schematics? Diagrams?" he asked the engineer.

"Diagrams? Of the Engine? Uh, I don't, but they keep diagrams right here. I can probably find-"

"Get them," Ezra ordered. "I happen to know one of the most brilliant programm- Engineer on my homeworld. If anyone can wrap their head around something like this calculating machine, it's Wit." He turned to Saga. "Can Ferdows pass through the Shift?"

"No idea. But you made it through without being torn into a billion pieces, so the odds are decent," she answered.

"Got them," Ferdows said. "Uh, what was that about being torn into a billion pieces?"

"Follow me, Ferdows," Ezra ordered.

As they passed through, Ferdows said, "Va ven? Keo en teka-logika?"

"The most advanced Engine there is and- Wait," Ezra paused. He looked at Ferdows. "You're not speaking English. I guess you weren't speaking English in the first place, but… I still understand you. Do you understand me?"

"Uh… Ko'e?" he replied.

Ezra sighed. "Thought so," he stated. He then pressed a button and his old friend appeared. "Wit, I'm sending over some schematics. I need you to figure out a way to get this system caught in an infinite loop." He looked at the man by his side. "Ferdows, watch." He stared at Ezra confused. "Watch this." He pointed him to the screen and they turned to watch it. After it was done, Ezra stood on his home side of the portal and Ferdows went to his. "Do you understand me now?"

"Uh, yes, perfectly. On that side, you were speaking… gibberish," Ferdows replied.

"Um, Ezra…" Saga called.

"English. It was English. But did you pick up on what Wit was showing you?" Ezra asked.

"Ezra, you need to hurry. The Shift's starting to contract," Saga warned.

"Okay," he responded. He turned back to Ferdows. "So, did it make sense to you?"

"The instructions? Yes. Yes, it made sense," Ferdows answered. "A special set of instructions, fed directly into the Engine, designed to mask itself as part of the final programming, but with erroneous calculations. Calculations that will cause the Engine to enter an infinite loop and burn itself out. A-"

"We call it a virus," Ezra told him.

"Like… a disease? This makes sense. This makes a lot of sense," Ferdows responded.

"Now, Ezra!" Saga called.

"Can you do it?" Ezra asked.

"I don't know if-" Ferdows began but the Shift was lost cutting him off.

' _I just hope he can,'_ Ezra thought. He walked down to where his mother was waiting with blasters or lightsabers pointed at her. "How do we shut it down?" Ezra asked her.

"We won't be shutting anything down, even if you threaten to shoot me," Mira denied.

"We're not shooting any-" he stopped as someone appeared in the vortex, black markings on his face like veins. The man landed on the ground and slowly stood up. "Brian Westhouse? What are you-" He then realized it. "Not good."

"What're you doing? You're not supposed to be here," Mira told the man. "You betrayed me! You're trying to destroy everything I've-"

The man reached out and used his powers to grab her by the neck, choking her before lifting her into the air. Kanan tried to attack the man with Ahsoka to distract him, but he merely threw the two back with little effort and into the wall. The others knew then that they shouldn't do anything. The man turned to Mira. "You were merely a tool, Mira. Nothing more. Did you think I'd let you play god? Existence is an accident. It was never meant to be dreamed."

Ezra used his powers and said, "Let her go." The markings on Brian's face began to glow before the Undreaming came out of Westhouse as the mist it was.

"Ezra, back away from that thing," Hera ordered.

But there was a bright light blinding all of them and taking Ezra into a space like place.

. . .

Lux was beside Ezra and the Undreaming was in front of them.

"You're not supposed to be on your own," Ezra stated along with Lux. "You've been causing so much grief. They don't understand you. They don't understand there needs to be a balance, in all things. Life and death. Light and darkness. Creation, destruction. Dream and undream. All things in Balance." Lux moved closer to the Undreaming. "It's time to come home and to dream new dreams." A dark, black colored version of Lux came out and met the being of light up close. They both combined hands before a bright light blinded everything and Ezra blacked out.

. . .

When the light vanished, they found Ezra collapsed on the ground unmoving. Mira was gone as was the man who near mimicked a Sith.

"Ezra!" Kanan exclaimed before running to his side followed by the others. He felt for a pulse and sighed in relief when he found one.

"He alright?" Sabine asked.

"Yeah," Kanan answered. He picked up his Padawan. "Let's get out of here." They nodded before hurrying off.

. . .

Ezra's eyes opened and he heard a familiar voice greet, "Good morning, Ezra."

Ezra sat up and looked at the room. "Not again…" he groaned.

The voice chuckled taking the boy's attention to him, showing it to be Kanan. "I promise, Ezra, it's for real this time. You alright?"

"Yeah, I think," Ezra answered. He looked outside.

"Want to curtains closed?" Kanan asked.

"No," Ezra answered gently. "It's fine. The sun… it's good."

"The medics said you'd be waking up. I wanted to at least be here when you did," Kanan told him.

"Did we win?" Ezra asked.

Kanan smirked. "We're still here, Mira and those people are gone, and you're out of that lab. So I guess we did."

"What happened at the end? There was a bright light, voices, and nothing. Darkness. And then… Well, this," his Padawan questioned.

"I don't know. None of us do," Kanan answered. "That… That thing that came through. It wasn't a Sith, but it was similar. It tossed both Ahsoka and I to the side, like we were nothing. We're lucky we weren't killed. We tried to get back on our feet, but then there was a blinding flash of light. When it faded - It only took a second or two - and then there was just you. No one else. We thought you were dead for a couple seconds. I could barely even feel your pulse."

"And… Mira?" Ezra asked.

"Gone. Perhaps that thing… She won't be back. If she survived, she's stay away. Too many people want her locked up… or dead," Kanan explained.

"Is the Empire still after me? You know, for me being a Dreamer," Ezra checked.

"Oh, no, they have enough problems on their hands," Kanan answered. "For once. Their plans for the Dreamachine were exposed. A lot of civilians are at beyond angry for the Empire using them to do such a task."

"Then this might be a chance to strike the Empire," Ezra commented.

Kanan chuckled. "Still Ezra. We'll worry about that once you're fit and ready to move again. You've been out for a week, after all." Ezra seemed beyond shocked that he was out that long. He grinned. "Everyone was really excited when they heard of the Empire's problems with their civilians. They'll be even more excited when they hear you're awake. Besides, without the Dreamachine, the Empire couldn't care less about you. Well, other than the fact that you're a rebel."

"That's good," the Padawan responded. He looked down. "Kanan, in that lab, I saw… I saw an incubation pod."

"Your incubation pod," he responded, shocking the teenager a bit. "We know."

"I was made, wasn't I?" Ezra asked.

"That, we don't know for certain. But what we do know is that you're still the same Ezra we met over a year ago. No matter what happens to you, no matter what spirit beings bond with you, no matter how you were brought into this world, you're still my Padawan," Kanan reassured.

"Thanks, Kanan," the boy responded.

"Of course," he responded.

"So, I'm guessing we're at the rebel base again?" Ezra asked.

"There was nowhere else to go, really," Kanan replied. "We're lucky we had what we needed to keep you alive while you were in that week long coma."

"I guess we are," Ezra agreed with a small grin.

"Anything wrong, Ezra?" Kanan asked.

"No," he answered. "Right now, I just want to… sit here. Watch the sunlight. I'm sick of sleeping, sick of dreaming. I want to be awake for once." They turned as Hera, Sabine, Zeb, Ahsoka, and Chopper came in. They immediately smiled as they saw Ezra awake. He grinned back and nodded.

Ezra knew he still had both the dark and light versions of Lux and the Yaga inside him. But he would be fine in the end, he was sure about that. He just needed to be awake for once. With a family he would never be able to replace. Because this was reality. The reality that was always meant to be possible.


End file.
